Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 7/17/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Friday, July 17, 2026

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (-150) Cleveland (+125)

Progressive Field is the location where the Cleveland Guardians (51-46) will attempt to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates (50-47) on Friday. The odds on this game have the Pirates at -150 while the Guardians are at +125. The total is 8. The pitchers taking the mound are Jared Jones and Gavin Williams.

Pittsburgh is slugging .426 and have been called out on strikes 907 times, while drawing a walk on 363 occasions. They have tallied 495 runs batted in and 886 base knocks for the season, while their average at the plate is at .263. The Pirates have compiled 154 doubles as a squad and have hit 125 baseballs out of the park. They have 516 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .342. As a unit, the Pittsburgh Pirates are scoring 5.3 runs/g, which has them sitting at 1st in MLB.

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They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.49 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.32. Pirates pitchers have surrendered 103 long balls and 472 runs in total (23rd in the league). Pittsburgh has conceded 787 base knocks (8.2 per 9 innings) and also 416 earned runs. The Pirates are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.32 on the year (20th in the league), and their staff has struck out 883 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 355 opposing batters and their FIP is 4.03 as a team so far this season.

The Pirates bullpen have accumulated a save percentage of 52.8% and stepped onto the hill in 82 save situations. They have tallied 19 saves for the year and have not converted 17 out of their 36 save chances. The relief pitchers have inherited 125 base runners on the campaign and 30.4% of them ended up crossing the plate. Pirates relief pitchers have entered the game with runners on base 88 times in addition to having 89 appearances in high leverage situations. The Pirates have dispatched 310 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season. The relievers have a total of 45 holds this year (22nd in MLB).

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a tally of 2,600 putouts on the campaign, in addition to 765 assists and 57 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .983 which has them ranked 21st in MLB, and have a total of 74 double plays. The Pirates have turned 69.2% of balls in play into outs out of their 7,800 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 23rd in professional baseball.

Jones has thrown 156 innings and is sitting with 171 strikeouts thus far in his career. His earned run average is 4.21 (73 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.184. He has allowed 135 base knocks (7.8 hits per 9 innings) and has 50 free passes. Jones (7-9 career record) sits with a FIP of 4.14 while facing 648 hitters in the major leagues.

The Guardians have a team slugging % of .369 and they average 3.97 runs per game (29th in MLB). They have 147 two-baggers, while walking 353 times as well as notching 385 runs. Cleveland has accumulated 93 home runs this year and 368 RBIs. They have been rung up on 810 occasions (12th in MLB) and have totaled 732 base knocks. The Cleveland Guardians are sitting with an on-base percentage of .310 in addition to a team batting average of .229 on the year.

The Guardians have a team WHIP of 1.262 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.97 as a team for the season. They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 9.10 (870 strikeouts vs 321 walks). They rank 10th in MLB as a staff in total hits surrendered with 762. They have allowed 110 dingers and they surrender 4.06 runs per 9 innings (7th in MLB). The Cleveland pitching staff have given up 387 runs so far this season while holding a team ERA of 3.71 (354 earned runs conceded).

Cleveland relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 23.9% out of 142 inherited runners. Their relievers have come in 123 times in high leverage situations and on 92 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 125 save situations, the Guardians have 83 holds in addition to 9 blown saves. They sit at 2nd in MLB with a save rate of 78.0%, and they have sent 326 relief pitchers onto the diamond on the year.

The Cleveland Guardians have turned 66 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .986 (15th in MLB). The Guardians have recorded 776 assists, 47 errors and have accumulated 2,576 putouts for the year. In 7,728 innings on the diamond, the Guardians are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 70.1% (15th in professional baseball).

Williams (28-24 win-loss record in his career) holds a 3.61 ERA while giving up 7.4 hits per 9 innings. His K/BB ratio is 2.47 and he has gone up against 1,841 opposing batters so far in his MLB career. He has given up a total of 176 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.255 and a FIP of 3.6. Thus far in his career, Williams has allowed 361 hits while tallying 467 punch outs in 438 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-150)

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